Machines for roughing the overlasted portions of shoe uppers



Sept. 10, 1968 J. BECHTOLD 3,400,561

MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS OF SHOE UPPERS Filed Sept. 2, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.7.

Sept. 10, 1968 J. BECHTOLD 3,400,561

MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS 0F SHOE UPPERS Filed Sep t. 2. 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. BECHTOLD Sept. 10, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 2, 1966 IIILII IIII J. BECHTOLD Sept. 10, 1968 MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS OF SHOE UPPERS Filed Sept. 2, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. BECHTOLD Sept. 10, 1968 MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS OF SHOE UPPERS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2. 1966 Fig.6

J. BECHTOLD Sept. 10, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept.

J. BECHTOLD 3,400,561

MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS OF SHOE UPPERS Sept. 10, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Sept. 2, 1966 United States Patent 3,400,561 MACHINES FOR ROUGHING THE OVERLASTED PORTIONS OF SHOE UPPERS Johann Bechtold, Oberursei, Taunus, Germany, assignor to Adrian & Busch KG. Schuhmaschinenfabrik, Oberursel, Taunus, Germany Filed Sept. 2, 1966,'Ser. No. 577,074 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 7, 1965,

s A 50,189; Jan. 17, 1966, A 51,332

4 Claims. (CI. 69-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to machines for roughing the ovenlasted portions of shoe uppers.

To insure a perfect bond between the overlasted shoe upper and the outsole, it is necessary to roughen the margin of the upper lasted over the insole. In machines as heretofore constructed, the roughing is performed by guiding a shoe manually against a roughing tool which is rotatable in a fixed part of the machine. The roughing operation requires constant attention on the part of'the operator, since the depth at which the work is roughened depends upon the force with which the shoe is pressed against the roughing tool. Even with utmost care on the part of the operator, it is often not possible to prevent the roughing tool from striking the staples or tacks With which the lasted upper is fastened to the insole. These fasteners can easily be damaged or pulled out, since the work engaging portions of the roughing tool are rigid or only slightly yieldable. The roughing operation requires, moreover, great skill, especially in the ball or shank portion of the shoe. The shoe guided by the operator against the roughing tool can easily move outof the required path, so that the leather at the outer margin of the overlasted portion may be roughened outwardly, thereby producing in the upper leather blemishes which 'are visible after the attachment of the outsole. If the overlasted portion is not sufficiently roughened in the direction of its inner margin, the roughing operation must be repeated in order to insure a perfect bond between the outsole and the overlasted portion of the upper. For these reasons the'roughing operation can be performed only by skilled operators.

To avoid excessive roughing of the overlasted portion of the shoe upper, the shoe is covered by a protective plate which leaves uncovered the portion of the leather which is to be roughened. Apart from the fact that it is necessary to employ different protective plates for shoes of different styles, the use of protective plates in machines as heretofore constructed has further disadvantages, one of which results from the manner of operation of the rotating roughing tools because, 'as may be readily understood, it is impossible to prevent the wire bristles from contacting the cover plates. As a result, not only are the cover plates damaged, but also the wire bristles are caused to wear out. A further disadvantage results from the fact that the operator must spend considerable time placing the cover plates on the shoes before beginning the operation and removing them at the end of the operation.

It is .an object of the present invention to provide a machine for roughing the overlasted portions of shoe uppers, which is automatically adjustable to operate on shoes of all sizes and styles without the use of protective plates or the like.

To this end, and in accordance with a feature of the invention, there is provided in a machine of the class referred to at least one shoe support, together with means for moving and guiding the support in a closed p'ath relative to an associated roughing tool which is yieldable in a direction perpendicular to the shoe bottom, and which comprises wires or bristles that are adjustable heightwise in accordance with the desired roughing depth. The tool is mounted on a shaft that is supported in a frame movable in a plane normal to the previously mentioned path and rotatable about axes normal and parallel to said path, so as to control the movement of the tool in a plane normal to the path of movement to conform to the feather line, and also to control its rotation about the axis perpendicular to the path of movement to adapt itself to the swing of the shoe.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the previously mentioned path of movement of the shoe support lies in a horizontal plane, with curved and rectilinear portions, and comprises guide rails along which thetsupport is guided by rolls. Means is further provided for swinging the support out of the curved portions and again swinging it inwardly from the rectilinear to the curved portions of the path of movement.

For operating simultaneously on both sides of a shoe along the straight portion of the path of movement, there are provided, in accordance with a still further feature of the invention, two roughing tools rotatable in opposite directions and automatically adjustable heightwise relative to the shoe bottom. The frame in which each tool is rotatably mounted is movable at right angles to the guide rails to enable the tool to adjust itself to the width of the shoe operated upon.

In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, each roughing tool is provided with means which maintain the tool in a fixed position until the roughing operation reaches a predetermined point along the shoe, for example, the shank portion, whereupon the tool is released to enaable it to adjust itself automatically to the contour of the shoe during the remaining portion of the operation.

These and other features and particulars of the invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a roughing machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine table;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a roughing tool and its associated control means;

FIGURE 4 illustrates auxiliary means for operating on shoes with very pronounced swing;

FIGURE 5 illustrates auxiliary means similar to the means shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a side view of the left-hand roughing tool and its control means;

FIGURE 7 is a side view corresponding to FIGURE 6 of the right-hand roughing tool;

I FIGURE 8 is a front view of the right-hand roughing tool;

FIGURE 8a is a detail view of a portion of the roughing tool indicated by the circle a in FIGURE 8; and

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the right-hand roughing tool.

The illustrative machine comprises a housing 1 (FIG. 1), a column 2, a head 3, and a table 4. The table is provided with a bearing 5 in which a support structure 6 having one or more arms is rotatably mounted. On the end of each arm of the structure 6, of which four are shown, a lever 7 is pivotally mounted. Below the pivotal connection between each lever 7 and the support structure 6 there is a gear wheel 32 connected by a pin to one end of the lever 7. The other end of the lever carries a shoe support 8 rotatable about a vertical shaft 9. A locking lever 27 (FIG. 2) having a groove 28 engaged by a stop pin 29 prevents the free rotation of the shoe support during the movement of the support along a portion of a closed path which is shown in the lower half of FIG. 2.

Each shoe support 8 is provided at one of its ends with a last pin 12 (FIG. 1) and at its opposite end with a toe rest 13. On each shoe support there is provided adjusting means 14, consisting of a pinion which meshes with two rack bars for adjusting the shoe support for shoes of different sizes. The toe rest 13 may be adjusted heightwise by means of a knurled nut 16 and locked in the adjusted position by means of a clamping lever 17. Rotation of a screw 19 permits adjustment of the last pin 12 about the pin 21 in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the shoe. Pins 18 permit shifting the last pin 12 transversely with relation to the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

On each end of the shoe support there is mounted a roll 22. These rolls will hereinafter be referred to as the upper rolls. Under each shoe support there is similarly mounted on the lower end of the shaft 9 a roll 23, these rolls being referred to as the lower rolls.

While a shoe support is moving along the curved portion of the path shown in FIG. 2, the lever 27 is in locking position, in which it prevents free rotation of the shoe support. A gear segment 33 is secured to the machine table. When the teeth on the gear wheel 32 mesh with the teeth of the gear segment 33, the lever 7 is swung out. The forward end of the upper rolls 22 rides along a guide rail 2411. During this movement a roll 30 on the locking lever 27 also engages the guide rail 24a and releases the lever 27, so that the shoe support and the shoe thereon can move parallel to the guide rail 24a. From that'point on both upper rolls 22 are guided on the guide rail 24a. After a short movement along the guide rail 24a, the lower roll 23 is guided onto the guide rail 24b. In this manner the curvilinear movement of the shoe support has been transformed into a rectilinear movement.

The transition from the rectilinear to the curvilinear movement through inward swinging of the shoe support on the curved portion of the path occurs automatically at the end of the guide rail 24b. For this purpose there is provided a yielding switch rail 25 (FIG. 2) having a spring secured to one of its ends, and along which the forward one of the upper rolls 22 rides. This initiates the switching movement, which is terminated when the lower roll 23 rides up on a band 26 which is under the tension of a spring 11. Upon initiation of the switching movement through the engagement of the forward roll 22 with the switch rail 25, the roll 30, which is brought into engagement with the locking lever 27, rides off the guide rail 24a, whereupon the spring causes the lever 27 to turn, as a result of which the pin 29 engages the groove 28 and the lever 27 is returned to its locking position, in which it prevents the free rotation of the shoe support.

The movement of the shoe support along the path described above may be accomplished by means other than the means illustrated in FIG. 1. In one alternative embodiment which has proved to be advantageous, each shoe support is mounted to rotate about a vertical axis on each end of the horizontally swinging lever 7 provided in the arms of the rotatable support structure 6. The parts 25, 26, 10 and 11 of the path shown in FIG. 1 are eliminated and the path is here formed only by guide rails comprising two curved and two straight portions. The shoe supports are guided by rolls mounted on the supports and riding upon and between the guide rails. In this arrangement,

4 there are likewise eliminated the parts 15, 28, 29 and 30 shown in FIG. 1, which function in a manner corresponding to that of the means shown in FIG. 1 for locking and unlocking the shoe supports during their movement along the curved portions or the straight line portions of the path.

During the rectilinear movement of the shoe supports along the guide rails 24, each shoe moves past two roughing tools 58 which, as shown in FIG. 2, are disposed opposite each other so that they can operate simultaneously upon the two sides of the shoe. As indicated by the armate arrows in FIG. 2, the roughing tools rotate in opposite directions so that each tool roughens the lasted portion of the upper inwardly toward the median line of the shoe bottom.

The roughing tools are mounted in frames which are fixed to supporting plates 36, each plate being provided with a groove 37 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. Each frame 35 is connected by a pin 47 to a slideway 38, which is adapted to be stopped by a pin 39. By this arrangement, the two roughing tools may be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails to adapt them to the width of each shoe to be operated upon.

For adjusting the roughing tool to the spring of a shoe, each roughing tool may be rotated about an axis 40 (FIG. 1) extending in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails. A lever 43 provided with a longitudinal slot is pivotally mounted in the frame 35. The slot in the lever 43 receives a pin 44, movement of which is limited by a set screw 41 and an adjustable stop 42.

Each roughing tool carries a guide plate 46 which is adapted to engage the shoe presented to the roughing tool, the operating edge of which is located opposite the guide plate. During a roughing operation the tool adapts itself automatically to the contour of the shoe. When the tool is removed from the shoe bottom, it is returned by a spring to its initial vertical position.

Another alternative arrangement is provided by the prewnt invention for enabling the roughing tool to adapt itself to the lateral swing of the shoe. For this purpose, the roughing tool may be adapted to rotate about a pin 47 which extends parallel to the guide rails. A segment 48 is fixedly connected to the pin 47, about which the frame 35 and the roughing tool 58 carried thereby are rotatable. The frame may be secured in its adjusted position by a pin 49 engaging in notches provided in the segment 48.

For operating on shoes with an extreme swing, there is provided the arrangement shown schematically in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, a latch 51 is adapted to engage the pin 44, which is movable in the slot of the lever 43 and is fixed in the bearing 45 for the roughing tool. By this means the tool is held in a fixed position in an adjustable operating path along the shoe. When the operation reaches a predetermined point along the operating path, a stop member 52 engages a lever 53 connected to the latch 51 and releases the pin 44. Thereafter the tool can adjust itself automatically to the contour of the shoe during the remaining portion of the operation.

The means illustrated in FIG. 5 operates in a manner similar to that of the means previously described. In this arrangement the roughing tool is maintained in a fixed position relative to the shoe by a roll 54 which is movable along a guide 56 that is adjustable by means of a screw 57. The roll 54 is solidly connected by the lever to the bearing 45 for the tool. When the roll 54 reaches the end of the guide 56, the tool can adjust itself to the contour of the shoe.

Each roughing tool comprises a rotatable body portion 58 which carries at its upper end portion a stub shaft 59 with which is connected a gear wheel 60 meshing with another gear wheel 61 which drives a shaft 62. In the wall of the body portion 58 of the roughing tool are formed a plurality of grooves 64 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis and in which are mounted wire holders 65 having stems which engage in bores 68 formed in a disc 67. The

disc 67 is located on the lower end of a stud 69 which is mounted in the shaft 59 and is axially adjustable. The upper end of the stud 69 is T-shaped and is surrounded by=a guideway 73 which is connected by a pin 75 to a screw 74 having a knurled head. The wire holders carry steel wires 70 disposed in an annular slot 72 formed by an outer ring 71 and the body portion 58 of the roughing tool. The wires are adapted to yield in the slot in response to the resistance of the shoe during a roughing operation. The wires 70 and the holders 65 may be adjusted heightwise by means of'the screw 74 to vary the roughing depth.

For adapting the roughing tool to the style of each shoe, the tool supported on the plate 36 may be moved' in a vertical direction by means of bearing members 77 along a shaft 76;

For particular cases where the heel end of a shoe is not to be roughened, there is provided means consisting of feeler levers 20 connected to bearing members 78 and carrying on their lower ends rolls 34 (FIG. 1). The rolls 34'ride on the inclined portion of an adjustable guide 31, whereby the roughing tool is raised from the shoe. However, if the entire shoe bottom is tobe roughened, the lever-s 20 may be adjusted and held in a raised position so that the rolls 34 cannot engage the guide 31.

The previously described arrangement for controlling the movement and the adjustment of the roughing tools produces satisfactory roughing of shoes of standard style. However, where a shoe hasa feather line which departs slightly from a straight line, the feather line is frequently roughened excessively, as a result of which .the upper leather beyond the feather line is damaged. In operating upon high style shoes with pronounced swing, it is very difficult to insure a flawless guiding of the roughing tool over the lasted margin of. the upper. To enable the rough ing tool to perform a perfect roughing operation, it is important that only a small arcuate portion of its operating edge come into contact with the upper leather. However, the more pronounced the swing of the shoe, the greater is the angle of attack of the operating edge of the tool which engages the sole portion and the adjacent portions of the upper leather.

In the machine of the present invention means are provided whereby the roughing tool may be adjusted relative to the feather line and relative to the shoe bottom, regardless of extreme variations in the sizes and styles of shoes. The means referred to comprise control rails 80 (FIGS. 6 and 7) adapted on carriers 102 which are adjustably connected to the shoe supports. All the control rails are identical. FIGS. 6 and 7 show such rails located at different heights for the left-hand or right-hand roughing tool. On each rail 80 rides a follower roll 81 rotatably mounted on a feeler lever 82. The lever is provided with an opening through which extends a clamping screw 83 which is threaded in an intermediate lever 85. The lever 82 can execute two independent movements, namely a longitudinal movement along the shank of the clamping screw 83, and a rotary movement about the screw as an axis.

The intermediate lever 85 is pivotally connected at its upper end by a pin 87 to a segmental lever 86 having on its upper end portion a gear segment in meshing engagement with a rack bar 89 (FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 6, there is arranged between the gear segment on the lever 86 and the rack bar 89 an intermediate pinion 88 for reversing the direction of movement. The rotation of the intermediate lever 85 is transformed by the interaction of the gear segment and the rack bar 89 into a liner movement of the rack bar. As the rack bar is connected by pin 90 with the roughing tool, the latter is moved in a direction normal or perpendicular to the path of movement of the shoe support, or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe, these movements being determined by the movement of the follower roll 81 along the rail 80. A slide- Way 92 movable in the groove 37 in the plate 36 is connected by the pin 47 to the frame 35. A spring 91 maintains the rack bar 89 in meshing engagement with the slideway to move outwardly in consequence of the swinging movement of the roughing tool. By this means the follower roll 81 is maintained on-the rail 80. An adjustable stop screw 94 limits the movement of the segmental lever 86 and at the same time controls the swing of the roughing tool toward one side. The adjustable stop screw 94 insures that the follower roll 81, after leaving one guide plate, will ride up on a next succeeding guide plate. 7

Thanks to the dual adjustment of the follower roll 81 or the lever 82, the roughing tool can be adjusted for operating upon shoes of different styles and sizes without requiring the use of different rolls.

A further important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means which insure that only a small arcuate portion of the operating edge of the roughing tool will engage the lasted margin of the shoe upper during the roughing operation. The positioning of the roughing tool relative to the shoe bottom for producing the best results is shown schematically in FIG. 8 within a circle identified by the letter a. The roughing tool must maintain this position at all times, even when the shoe to be operated upon presents an extreme swing. For this purpose there is provided a guide plate 95, shown schematically in FIG. 8, which is movable in an opening 96 through which extends the shank of a stop screw 97. The guide plate is secured at its upper end to an arm 98, which forms a part of the tool carrier. The bent lower end of the guide plate is located below the lower edge of the roughing tool. The body portion 58 of the roughing tool is formed by an inner ring member 100 and an outer ring member 99 (FIG. 8a). The lower edge of the outer ring member 99 is located above the lower surface 101 of the inner ring member. The steel wires 70 of the roughing brush project downwardly between the two ring members, the lower ends of the wires lying somewhat below the surface 101 of the inner ring member 180.

The guide plate 95 operates in a manner substantially similar to that of the guide plate 46. Both insure that the operating edge of the roughing tool will contact the lasted margin of the upper only along a slight are. It has been found that in the case of shoes with a sharp swing, the guide plate- 46 connected to the tool carrier was unable to provide the optimal positioning of the tool, as shown in FIG. 8 relative to the shoe bottom. The use of the adjustable guide plate 95 marks a distinct improvement. This guide plate insures that only a small portion of the operating edge of the tool will engage the lasted portion of the shoe upper of shoes of all styles, including those with a sharp swing. Since the surface 101 of the inner ring member 100, below which the wires of the roughing tool project, lies over the lasted margin of the upper, the depth to which the leather will be roughened will correspond to the amount by which the lower ends of the wires project below the lower surface 101 of the inner ring member 100. This depth can be varied to suit different types of leather by varying the height of the wires. In the machine according to the present invention the entire lasted marginal portion of the shoe upper is roughened evenly, and over-roughing by the wires outside the feather line is prevented.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the path of movement is shown lying in a horizontal plane. The plane may, however, be arranged at any desired angle. If the plane presents sharp angles of inclination, it will also be necessary to supplement the missing gravity by spring forces or other suitable means.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A machine for roughing the overlasted portion of a shoe upper, comprising a shoe support rotatable about a vertical axis, a roughing tool, means defining a closed 7 path along which the support with a shoe thereon is guided relatively to the roughing tool, a support for the roughing tool movable in a plane normal to the path of movement of the shoe support and rotatable about axes normal and parallel to said path to cause the roughing tool to adapt itself to the width, swing and peripheral contour of the shoe, means maintaining the tool in a fixed position until the roughing operation reaches a predetermined portion of the shoe bottom, and means for releasing the tool to enable it to adapt itself to the peripheral contour of the shoe during the remaining portion of the roughing operation.

2. A machine for roughing the overlasted portion of a shoe upper, comprising a shoe support rotatable about a vertical axis, a roughing tool, means defining a closed path along which the support with a shoe thereon is guided relatively to the roughing tool, a support for the roughing tool movable in a plane normal to the path of movement of the shoe support and rotatable about axes normal and parallel to said path to cause the roughing tool to adapt itself to the width, swing and peripheral contour of the shoe, and a guide plate connected to the tool support on the side of the roughing tool facing the shoe and arranged to engage the overlasted portion of the shoe upper during the roughing operation, so that the operating edge of the tool opposite the guide plate can roughen the overlasted portion of the shoe upper inwardly of the feather line of the shoe to avoid damaging the upper material beyond the feather line.

3. A machine for roughing the overlasted portion of a shoe upper, comprising a shoe support, means including guide rails defining a closed path of movement with rectilinear and curvilinear portions along which the shoe sup port with a shoe thereon is guided, means effectiveto cause the shoe support to swing alternately out of and into the curvilinear and rectilinear portions of said path of movement, a pair of roughing tools for simultaneously operating on the opposite sides of the shoe during the movement of the shoe support along the rectilinear portions of the closed path, a rotatable support for each roughing tool movable in a plane normal to the path of movement of the shoe support to adapt itself to the feather line of the shoe and rotatable about an axis perpendicular to said path of movement to adapt. itself to the swing of the shoe, said toolsupport being adjustable at right angles to said guide rails to adapt the tool to the width of the shoe bottom.

4. In a machine as claimed in claim 3, a roughing tool comprising a body portion formed by an outer annular member and an inner annular member, the lower surface of said inner annular member adapted to engage the overlasted portion of the upper of a shoe mounted on the shoe support, roughing wires set in said body portion and projecting between said annular members to a point below the lower surface of said inner annular member, and means for varying the extent to which the lower ends of the wires project below the lower surface of said annular member so as to vary the depth to which the overlasted portion of the upper will be roughened.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,299,176 10/1942 Quinn 696.5 2,733,588 2/1956 Stacey et a1 696.5 3,163,031 12/1964 Kestell 69-65 3,267,705 8/1966 Simmonds et al 69-65 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

